Where has the joy in giving gone?

Budgets for large churches must be met somehow. Forcing tithing not to be done out of joy but out of necessity. People are led to believe that their place in heaven could be in jeopardy if that check of the right amount doesn’t make the offering plate. Which to me sounds like buying your way out of purgatory. All so the pastor and his cronies can buy bigger houses and bankroll bigger retirements. A church in Michigan recently bought a home for their pastor. No big deal right? Unless the home sits on 4 acres and is over 11,000 square feet costing over 4 million dollars. Of course it is owned by the church, a non-profit, so that means it is costing the town $40,000 in taxes every year. Could there have been a starving country we could have fed with this money or possibly a few hungry, sick, or homeless families in America that this money could have gone to? Probably not, as the elders of the church put it, we honor our athletes and actors with giant bankrolls and multi-million dollar mansions what are we saying if we don’t do the same for a man of God. I believe that if someone wants to be a man of the cloth so he can live in a 4 million dollar house he may be in the wrong profession. I don’t think our clergy need to go poor but I also think a Church that can afford to buy a house of that girth has a greater responsibility to the community in using that money for more Christianly endeavors. The last time I read the Bible I could have swore greed and envy were sins? Interesting how this pastor and church don’t see the correlation. And in a church that size, you don’t think there is one parishioner who may be starving or on the brink of losing their meager home or struggling to pay medical bills? This is the kind of thing that pushes people from Christianity. They see too many churches like this and not enough that make it a joy and goal to use their finances to help others. This could be because the churches with a greater bent towards helping others don’t have the operating budget that allows for flamboyant shows of wealth to get peoples attention.

What is Most Important?

"Hearing Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the law?'
Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:34-40


What a novel thought, the greatest of all the commandments has nothing to do with judgment, blame casting or who is more righteous. This seems to be a lost thought in Christianity today. Instead we are focused on the “right” way to believe. Accept Jesus, say this prayer, give this much money, do X amount of good deeds. And certainly don’t Sin, Sin is the product of the devil, and if you Sin you hence have communed with the devil and therefore are going to Hell. Of course these things include not accepting Jesus, being a homosexual, drinking alcohol, using tobacco or other substances, and questioning the church. But don’t worry just follow the steps listed above and you will have done right by God and the Church. Of course when I say Church I mean Christianity as a whole. But once you are in this group then you can join the rest of the righteous and look down upon those who have committed the atrocity of Sin.
But wait wasn’t there something about loving your neighbor as yourself?
That was probably just a typo; let me look that up in my Bible… Nope it does say that, Gee Whiz. Oh but it says neighbor, and all my neighbors are good Christian folk so I am ok because we get along great. But, you know that family around the block, I heard their daughter is pregnant, and she is only 17 years old and obviously not married. God’s honest truth. Can you imagine how her parent’s feel knowing that their daughter is a harlot? I just can’t believe the disaster the world is becoming.
So maybe I took some license with my scenario there but come on, everyone full well knows that in this day and age we are neighbors the world over. If we can’t begin to love each other beyond what sin we may or may not have committed we loose sight of those two commandments that say so much. Regardless of sexual preferences, stupid choices, or religions we are one people under God. Jesus didn’t say the only rule we need to follow is that we believe in him and serve him or that we shouldn’t be a homosexual, or make stupid choices that can change our lives, but to serve God first and foremost and take care of each other second.